What Happens in Vegas
by Azecreth
Summary: Sheppard shows up too late to stop the Wraith from sending his final message, and now the humanity must struggle to prevent the Wraith from reaching Earth. AU of the AU presented in the episode "Vegas".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Rated T for Sci-fi action violence, swearing, and character death.**

**This story takes place in the alternate universe portrayed in the episode "Vegas"**

* * *

><p>Sheppard zoomed down the highway away from Las Vegas in his 1981 Chevy Camaro, Johnny Cash's "Solitary Man" playing on the radio. As he drove towards Milwaukee with the intention of starting a new life there, he reflected on what had happened earlier that morning. He had resigned from the police force, taking only his Johnny Cash poster and the duffel bag full of money that he had taken from the Wraiths hotel room. He had thought about what McKay had said, about how, in a different life, he may have meant something to people, it was compelling and finally convinced him that he needed to hit the road and move on with his life.<p>

Glancing at the bag in the passengers seat, he felt something click in his mind. The radiator fluid at the crime scene, the Silver Bullet trailer, that crazy Wraith who had been rambling on about the desert, what McKay had said about the Wraith needing more power so he could tell the other Wraith about Earth. Suddenly it all clicked in his mind, and he realized where the Wraith must be. Giving a small grunt, he slammed on the brakes and threw the car into a sharp U-Turn. With Johnny Cash playing on the radio, he zoomed off towards Vegas, praying he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

><p>Woolsey was, to be frank, furious. McKay and Zalenka hadn't gotten anywhere in finding the Wraith that was residing in Las Vegas. It grated on his nerves that even with all the technology at their disposal, some nobody cop had gotten closer to catching the Wraith than they had. He walked around inside the command center observing as McKay and Zalenka went over scans and tried to locate where the Wraith would make his next move. The Air Force had two A-10's on standby for an air strike, but they had no target yet. And every second that went by, that Wraith came closer to alerting every wraith in Pegasus as to the location of Earth.<p>

Suddenly, every monitor in the room lit up, and beeping issued from several speakers. McKay ran over to a computer and sat down next to Zalenka, were he began furiously typing.

"What is it," asked Woolsey, with a suspicious ad to the answer forming in his mind.

McKay glanced up from the console and he stopped typing for a second. We're detecting a massive subspace event, ten times more powerful than an active Stargate."

As the command center burst into activity, Woolsey began barking out orders. "Get those A-10's to the source of that disturbance. Now." Looking at McKay again, he saw the worry etched on his and Zalenka's faces. "What is it?"

McKay didn't take the time to stop typing as he replied to Woolsey's question. "It's a message. In Wraith. I'm decoding it now." Zalenka glanced up and nodded his agreement, then went back to what he was doing also.

Woolsey looked at the large map of the United states on the wall. If something didn't happen soon, then they were all dead.

* * *

><p>Sheppard shifted in his seat as he felt a wave of . . . something go through him. Instinctively, he knew he was too late. Gunning his Camaro, he broke the speed limit as he drove in the direction that the pulse had come from.<p>

As he sped down a Las Vegas highway, he saw the Silver Bullet motor home in the distance. He could also see the outlines of power cords leading from the rear of the motor home to the wires of the power grid nearby. Pulling out his cell phone, Sheppard dialed the number that McKay had given him, only to receive a dial tone.

"Damn it," he muttered. That transmitter thing the Wraith was using must be interfering with cell phone signals. It looked like he would have to do it on his own. Sheppard didn't see any chance to sneak inside the motor home, and the stealthy approach was kinda ruined since the Wraith would definitely be watching for people coming.

In a flash, he knew what he had to do. It was incredibly stupid, but he only had two clips of ammo for his pistol, so it was his only option. Revving the engine, he aimed the Camaro at the back of the Silver Bullet and hit the gas as he unlocked his door.

In the second before the Camaro smashed into the back of the trailer, Sheppard dived out of the car. The Camaro, going close to seventy five miles an hour, slammed into the back of the motor home and crumpled it through the force of the impact. As the car flipped away due to it's momentum keeping it going, the transmitter ceased functioning.

However, Sheppard would not be able to enjoy his success. The collision combined several elements within the back of the trailer, the combination of which had explosive results. The trailer vanished in a large fireball which killed the Wraith inside instantly. The sound of ammunition going off inside the motor home was overshadowed by the secondary explosion of the truck that was attached to the remains of the Silver Bullet. Flaming debris was strewn all across the landscape, and the area quickly became very dangerous. Sheppard didn't feel a thing when a large chunk of flaming debris embedded itself in his back, severing his spinal cord and instantly killing him.

The land was silent, with flames licking the wreckage.

* * *

><p>Woolsey listened with amazement as the A-10 pilots reported back on what they saw at the location of the subspace event. They had arrived at the area shortly after the signal had cut out, and were reporting back on what they saw.<p>

"Sir, there is a burning trailer, with the hulk of a car attached to it. It looks like there were multiple explosion. There's a flipped over car a bit further away."

Woolsey wiped his brow as he carefully worded his next question. "Do you see detective Sheppard, over." all the stress of this day, it was finally starting to get to him. He asked because Sheppard was the only one who would have known about the Wraith, and would have been most likely to track him down. Odds were good that he was the one who had ended the Wraith's signal, and that it was his car wrecked down there.

"I see a body down there. It's badly burnt, and is not moving. Cannot identify, over."

Woolsey grimaced. The body was most likely Sheppard. It was sad that he hadn't made it away form his final confrontation with the Wraith, but that was how the cards fell. They would have to arrange a suitably solemn funeral for him, maybe see if they could find some of his family.

McKay abruptly spoke up. "It contained the location of Earth."

Woolsey walked over to the console that McKay was sitting at and looked at the data on the screen. "Well, did the message make it through to Pegasus?"

McKay glanced up at him, and his heart sank as he read the expression on the doctor's face. The distress on it was evident, and Woolsey realized the answer before McKay uttered a response. "Yes. It did. Every Wraith in Pegasus now knows the location of Earth. Look, there was more to the message. I'll see what else was in it."

Woolsey sighed as he straightened. This day just couldn't get any worse. And now he would have to tell the IOA how he had let the Wraith find the location of earth on his watch. "I better inform the IOA and the president about what happened here. We need to think up a plan, and fast."

As he exited the room, McKay and Zalenka glanced at each other with looks of despair as they continued translating the subspace message. Sheppard was lucky. He wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that they had failed in their mission. The Wraith would come for them, and the living would probably envy those who were gone already.

* * *

><p>"Mr. President, we failed. The Wraith know where Earth is."<p>

The President gave an audible groan as he listened to the report from Mr. Woolsey, of the IOA. He could already imagine what this would mean. A race of aliens who suck the life out of you by their hands would be on their way to Earth.

"Goddammit. We barely fought them off last time, and that was only one Hive ship. How are we supposed to stop them now?"

On the other end of the line, Woolsey paced around the command room in Area 51. "Be forewarned, I'm not the IOA, so take these only as unofficial suggestions. Sir, I think you should go public."

The President fairly exploded. Who did this Woolsey guy think he was? If they had managed to make it through Anubis, the Ori, and so many other things without going public, so why would he suggest they do it now?

"Mr President. The Wraith will come in large numbers. If we want to stop them, then we need all the industrial capability of Earth behind us. And the only way to do that is to go public. We also need to contact the Lucian Alliance and the Free Jaffa. They will soon be in the same situation as us, so we need their assistance. The Wraith will not distinguish between us and the Lucian Alliance, and if we don't stop the Wraith now, we never will.

The President sighed and rubbed his eyes. Woolsey made some sense, even if he was annoying. And of course, things were a bit different than last time. The _Daedalus_ was in Earth orbit now, as was the _Odyssey,_ and the _Apollo_ was on the way back from Pegasus, so they would have more firepower to work with.

"Alright Mr. Woolsey. Suggestion noted. However, if we do what you suggest, then there is one other thing we need to do."

"Well, what would that be, Mr. President?"

"We would have to bring Atlantis back from Pegasus. As you said, we need to have all our assets ready to fight. And Atlantis is our greatest asset against the Wraith."

Woolsey was stunned. He didn't expect the President to suggest this. He tried to find a response, but he heard the words, "Yes, Mr. President," coming out of his mouth, while his mind screamed at him internally.

"Very well then," said the President. "I want you, McKay, and Zalenka to return to Atlantis immediately, and tell Commander Caldwell to prepare for departure when they receive word from us."

"Yes Mr. President," replied Woolsey, falling back on that oldest of aide tricks; stunned obedience. After dismissing himself, Woolsey hung up the phone, and went to go tell McKay and Zalenka to pack up their things. It was time to go home.

* * *

><p>McKay walked wearily into the apartment that SGA had given him and Jennifer to live in while he was managing the Wraith crisis. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he was hardly there anyway, so it worked.<p>

As he set his bag which contained his laptop and other important documents on the desk near the door, Jennifer came up to greet him. She could tell immediately that something was wrong.

"What is it honey," she asked as McKay took off his jacket.

"We failed miserably. The Wraith know where Earth is, and they're probably already on their way." McKay walked into the small living room, and sat down on the couch that took up the left wall.

Jennifer sat down beside him and gave him a short kiss. She could tell that he was distressed, and knew she had to help before he started spiraling. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to stop them before they get to Earth."

"I know," sighed Rodney. "It's just that, I thought we wouldn't have to deal with this when I asked you to marry me. What was the point if we are just going to get fed on by Wraith?"

"Rodney, there was no way you could know that this would happen. Besides, there's no one I would rather spend my last days with. Only they won't be our last days. You have to promise me you won't exhaust yourself like during the Replicator-Wraith War, okay?"

"Fine," said Rodney. Leaning up against Jennifer, he put his arm around her and gazed at her. "You know, I'm glad that I married you. thanks for keeping me sane."

'Ah, it's no problem. Besides, we're all in this together."

Rodney abruptly stood up. "Right, I forgot." Turning to look at Jennifer, he pulled her up and said, "We have to get packing. Since we aren't needed here anymore, Woolsey is taking us back to Atlantis."

Jennifer sighed. "Not a days rest, huh?"

Rodney smiled and started walking towards the small bedroom. "Oh, it's not so bad, since I'm with you."

Jennifer returned his smile and followed him into the bedroom to help him pack up the small amount of personal possessions they had brought with them. Things may have turned for the worse, but at leas they would face the coming days together,

* * *

><p>Throughout the Pegasus Galaxy, a subspace burst of unrivaled proportions registered itself on everything that could monitor subspace. When it died away, the face of the galaxy began changing. Hive ships began clustering, gathering, preparing for the next step. Preparing to attack Earth. And they were confident that nothing would stand in their way.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

It was a gathering of Hive Ships the likes of which had not been seen since the defeat of the ancients a millenia ago. All those present at this meeting had received the subspace message that had appeared without warning, which contained the location of their new feeding ground, and information on it's primary defense system. The ships would soon be on their way, but this gathering was necessary to establish who would be in charge of the fleet if they were to face resistance.

The many Hive ships had taken up positions near the tiny fourth planet in this system. The planet was barely tolerable to human life, but since they were Wraith, there was no problem. There was also no stargate upon this planet, to prevent disruption of their meetings by pesky humans. The ships were all on alert, waiting for any signs of treachery. The memories of the Civil War were too recent for the various Wraith to completely trust each other. At this gathering, the more influential queens would dominate, but all had to be there as a formality.

A very large gathering hall had been built on the planet's surface especially for this occasion many millenia ago. There was an open circle in the middle of the room which was where the various Wraith would speak to those assembled here. Around that circular center area were rows upon rows of seats, which went around the speaking around and extended up to the ceiling of the arena. The tradition was that the lower you were seated in the arena, the more status you had, as it was easier to reach the speaking area. Thus, the Queen's seated at the bottom controlled the most powerful Hives.

The arena had already been filled by the queens and their retinues. However, many of the seats were empty, a result of the Replicator-Wraith War, and the Wraith Civil War. A din of talking filled the air as the Queen's greeted each other and engaged in a bit of pre-meeting bargaining. With the possibility of a new feeding ground facing them, some saw the possibility to bury old grievances and secure more influence for themselves.

All of a sudden, the main doors leading into the arena slammed open, and the room fell absolutely silent. Into the room strode an honor guard of Warrior Wraith, who snapped off at even intervals and formed two parallel corridors along the path into the room. All the wraith in the room, except for the warrior Wraith, collectively bowed as a solitary Male wraith wearing an ornate headdress entered the arena through the main doors. This Wraith was the oldest known wraith in the galaxy. Some believed that he was the first Wraith to come into existence. Every Wraith revered him for his age and wisdom, thus allowing him to act as an impartial judge in situations like this.

The Wraith Elder reached a large chair which sat opposite the main doors of the arena and the speaking area. He turned around and all the Wraith stood up in unison. Raising his arms, he sat down in the large chair. Taking his act as a signal, the other wraith in the arena sat down as well.

"This gathering has now come to order." The Wraith Elders voice rang out through the arena. "Brothers and Sisters, we have found the location of our new feeding ground. No longer will we have to war amongst ourselves, for we there will soon be enough food to sustain all our numbers."

Spontaneous sounds of approval issued through the arena, but fell silent as the Wraith Elder raised his hands in a gesture commanding silence. "Now, someone must lead us to our destiny and this new feeding ground. Who will accept this responsibility?"

Three Wraith Queens sitting in the bottom row of the arena stood up, showing their desire for the position. The Wraith Elder motioned for them all to step before him, and he looked them over as they stood in front of him.

"Under the ancient conventions, you three shall engage in honorable combat. The victor shall be made fleet leader, and shall control the Hives of the two who have fallen."

The three Queens bowed to the Wraith Elder, and moved to form a triangle in the speaking area. When the Wraith Elder nodded, the three shifted into fighting stances, and began circling each other. Each scanned the other and looked for any possible weaknesses, and ways for them to achieve victory over the other two. After a little bit, as if taking some imperceptible signal, the fight began in earnest.

One queen launched into a devastating punch-kick-punch combo, which was blocked by the second. The third queen took advantage of the second's distraction to get behind her in an attempt to snap her neck. Her actions were noticed by the second queen,who jabbed her elbow into the third's gut, doubling her over, then whirled around and slammed her knee into the injured queen's face. As she recoiled back in pain, the first queen delivered a sharp jab to the base of the second's spinal cord. She blocked the retaliatory kick, and struck with a kick of her own. The second queen caught her foot in the process of doing so, and threw her to the side, where she slammed into a wall. Twirling around, the second queen fought a quick hand to hand battle with the recovered third queen, which ended with the third queen taking a spin kick to the face. As she collapsed to the ground, the two remaining queens faced off.

The battle continued for fifteen more minutes as the two queens wore each other down. The only interruption was when the third queen regained consciousness, but she was quickly knocked out again by the first and second queen. Then, the match ended in an instant as the second queen managed to break through the others guard, and delivered a one-two knockout punch. The triumphant queen solemnly approached the Wraith Elder.

"Victorious Queen," intoned the Elder. "Claim your prize as is your right."

"Yes Elder," replied the Queen. She walked over to the third queen, who was once again returning to consciousness. Leaning down, she ignored the far that flashed through the other queens eyes, and planted the palm of her right hand on the other queens chest. The arena was silent as as the victorious queen fed on the third queen. After she had drained every drop of life from the third queen, she moved over to the first queen. Saying a small blessing for her soul, she placed her hand upon the first queens chest, and fed upon her as well. After she had completed her solemn task, she approached the Wraith Elder again as the corpses were removed from the arena.

"Queen, what is your name," asked the Wraith Elder.

"Honorable Elder, my name is Tamion're," said the Queen as she bowed.

"Queen Tamion're, as according to the ancient conventions written here in this very arena, I proclaim you leader of this combined fleet. Take your place in the circle." With those words, the Wraith elder rose from his chair, bowed to Tamion're, and slowly departed the arena, with his honor guard following him.

Tamion're walked up to the large chair which had been previously occupied by the Wraith Elder and sat down in it. "My fellow brothers and sisters. By trial of combat, I have been placed in charge of this gathered fleet. Now, return to your ships, and prepare to leave. We shall depart tomorrow for our new feeding ground, and nothing shall stand in our way!"

The roars of approval filled the arena as all the Wraith present rose.

* * *

><p>President Hayes sat in a special conference room at the United Nations building in New york. This room was deep inside the building, and had been built with absolute secrecy in mind. The walls were all triple soundproofed, and the room was surrounded by an electrical cloud to keep eavesdropping devices from working. Assembled in the room were the permanent Security Council representatives, as well as the head of the IOA. The President had just briefed them on the events of the past few days.<p>

The room was silent for a few seconds as everyone else absorbed the information that the Wraith would be coming soon. Then Mikhailov, the Russian President, spoke up. "You Americans have doomed us all. Again. First it was the Goa'uld, now the Wraith. You should have accepted my offer of assistance when you had the chance. We Russians are very good at finding people who do not want to be found."

Hayes sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Damn it Mikhailov. I told you why we couldn't do that when you offered the first time. We have laws in this country. Not to mention that a serious manhunt after an "unusual meteor shower" basically screams cover-up."

"And look where that has gotten us," said the Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier. "An alien race that has the capability to suck the life out of you through it's hand is on its way to Earth. And the only defenses we have are your three space ships and the weapons control platform in Area 51. Too bad the _Sun Tzu _got destroyed fighting the first Hive due to us not having your beam weapons, because then we would have three ships, and a better chance."

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spoke up in an attempt to head off any arguments before they started. They needed to be strong in the face of this threat, not divided. "It's no use wishing that things had gone different. We need to deal in the here and now, not could-have-should-haves. The blame game will get us nowhere. We need to figure out what to do."

Hayes nodded in agreement, and pulled out some documents from the folder that sat in front of him on the table. "I'm going to contact the Free Jaffa and the Lucian Alliance, see if they can give us some help. They're in the same boat as us after all."

Carl Strom, the head of the IOA took this opportunity to speak up. "After careful deliberation, the IOA has come to the decision that the Stargate Program should become public knowledge. The benefits of having world industry devoted to building _Daedalus_-class vessels outweighs the risks of having advanced technology fall into the hands of terrorist groups and the possibility of public panic."

Blair thought about that for a second. "Think of what it could do to the global economy. Thousands would be employed building ships and manning them. It's the perfect plan, if it weren't for the threat of imminent death."

"I only have one question for the Americans," said Jiabao as he looked at Hayes. "If we are to make the Stargate public knowledge, would this mean that you would share your advanced technology with the rest of the world?"

Hayes sighed. He could tell that the Chinese and the Russians would hinge their approval on their getting advanced Asgard technology. His advisers would probably yell at him for this, but if it was the price of ensuring the survival of their civilization, then so be it. "Yes, yes it would. A list of all the tech we can give you will be drawn up at a later date before we go public. Now, I propose we vote in the decision to take the Stargate public."

All the people present voted Aye.

Mikhailov settled back into his chair. "I think we should make the announcement a week form now. This will give the Americans suitable time to make up a list, and also give us enough time to prepare a fleet."

Hayes nodded in agreement. "I think that will be suitable."

As the meeting adjourned, Hayes walked over to Blair. "Let's hope this goes well. If we survive the Wraith, we may regret this decision."

Blair glanced at Hayes as he packed up the papers in front of him into his suitcase. "Have a little faith. I suspect a common struggle against an outside aggressor will increase the chances of postwar peace, since the soldiers will have gotten to know their fellow man."

"I hope you're right," muttered Hayes. He didn't really enjoy it when Blair pulled out that humanist moral crap. Some people just didn't think like that. Before he left the room, he turned to face Strom. "call Atlantis. Tell them to come home."

"Yes Mr. President."

* * *

><p>The ejectae from the activating Stargate splashed harmlessly against the energy field that guarded Atlantis's gate room. Chuck read off the number sequence that came through the gate in a transmission as guards moved into position.<p>

"I'm reading Midway's IDC," said Chuck

"Let them in," said Caldwell as he moved to stand beside Chuck.

As the iris faded away Caldwell walked down from the control room to the gate area. He arrived down there as Woolsey, Zalenka, Rodney, and Jennifer came through the gate.

"Mr. Woolsey, Dr Zalenka, Rodney, Jennifer," said Caldwell as he greeted them all. "So what word is there from Earth?"

"The news isn't good, I'm afraid," replied Woolsey as the gate shut off. "As you probably noticed, the Wraith we were tracking succeeded in his goal of alerting all the Wraith to the location of Earth."

"Yeah, our subspace transmitters were flooded by the signal."

They continued talking as they walked up to the control room.

"Our deep space sensors have detected a large gathering of Hive Ships around a planet near the galactic core," said Caldwell as he walked over to the map displayed on one of the monitors. "Sensor readings are jumbled, but we're detecting upwards of seventy Hive Ships."

Over seventy Hive ships," asked Woolsey in disbelief as he looked at the

"That's what we guess. Of course, this doesn't count Cruisers and Darts, which could be significantly larger number. We think that we're looking at a large majority of the Wraith remaining in this galaxy."

"Wow," commented Zalenka. "The Civil War must have destroyed more of them than we thought."

Woolsey moved up to the map that Caldwell was standing by. "Indeed. But that's still a lot of Hive Ships to deal with."

Caldwell looked over at the tree Doctors who were standing a bit further away. "I had your room's prepared. You can go there and drop off your stuff. I'm sure me and Woolsey need to catch up on a few things."

"Alright," replied Rodney as the three of them began walking out of the control room.

Caldwell turned to face Woolsey. "So what orders from Earth?"

"On behalf of the President, and the IOA, you are hereby ordered to return to Earth with the city of Atlantis."

Caldwell was stunned. He had expected something like severe cuts in personnel and equipment, but not that they would move the entire city. "With all due respect, we can't just leave. The Genii Civil War looks like it will be heating up soon. I think Kolya's up to something, and we need to be ready for it when he makes his move."

"The IOA is fully aware of the situation here and has taken it into consideration. It is their opinion that our best chance to defeat thew Wraith is to marshal all our military assets at a point along the Wraith's route of advance, and work with our allies to defeat their fleet before they can reach Earth. And like it or not, Atlantis is our greatest asset in this fight."

"Well, I still don't like it. What about our allies here? The Coalition?"

"The IOA has given you approval to leave them with whatever equipment we can spare, but we cannot do anything beyond that. You'll need to recall all your offworld personnel and Ambassador Weir. "

"Fine," said Caldwell as he moved to enter his office."Chuck, tell Rodney and Zalenka to get to work getting Atlantis ready for hyperspace once they've settled in. Also, dial all our offworld personnel and get them back here." Looking back at Woolsey, he said, "I hope the IOA isn't making a big mistake here."

Woolsey watched as Caldwell entered his office. "You and me both," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Ambassador Elizabeth Weir was not in a good mood. She had been called back to Atlantis, only to find out that the IOA was ordering Caldwell to take the city back to the Milky Way Galaxy. At this moment, she was sitting in Caldwell's office having a charged discussion with him.<p>

"What about the alliances we worked so hard to get here? And the Coalition. They're barely getting by as it is. If we aren't present in this galaxy, then they'll probably collapse. Not to mention that we need to be here to monitor the Genii and the Asurans," said Weir angrily.

Caldwell folded his hands on his tidy desk and looked squarely at Weir. "The IOA has taken that into consideration, and they have reached the decision that Earth has to come first. And honestly, I have to agree with them. I'm sorry, but with a Wraith fleet bearing down on Earth my hands are tied. How can I explain to myself that while Earth fell I sat here safely in Pegasus and did nothing?"

Weir looked back coldly. She had experienced a lot over the past five years, and the experiences had changed her. "Commander, that is just something you would have to live with. Just like how I have to live with the fact that I was the one who let Rodney activate the attack code in the Replicators. We can't see the future. We have to make a decision and see it through to the end."

Caldwell stood up and walked over to the window that opened into the gate room. Below he could see activity as nonessential members of the Expedition went through the Gate to Midway Station. "Well, I am making a decision Ambassador Weir. Atlantis will return to it's home. Once the Wraith have been dealt with, then we will return here."

"Alright," said Weir as she walked over tot the window and stood next to Caldwell. "But I'm staying here."

Caldwell turned to face her. "You are not. I have express orders to take you back with me, and I will obey them. In fact, once this discussion is over you should get ready to gate through to Midway with the last group."

Weir continued looking out the window. "Commander, I understand your desire to make sure that nothing happens to me, but somebody needs to stay behind and make sure that Pegasus doesn't go to hell while Atlantis is busy in the Milky Way."

"You'll be cut off from us. If something happens then we won't be able to provide support or come rescue you."

"You don't need to worry about me Commander. I'll stay at the Alpha Site while I'm not busy trying to salvage our reputation here."

Caldwell looked over Weirs cold expression and knew he had lost this argument. "Alright ambassador. We'll leave you with enough supplies to last a month. Hopefully we wont be gone that long."

"Thank you" said Weir as she turned to leave.

Caldwell moved back over to his desk and sat down. Pulling out some papers, he talked without looking up at Weir. "I do have one condition. You are the one who has to explain this to the IOA."

Weir glanced back at Caldwell before leaving his office. "I think I can handle that," she said confidently.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've nerfed the number of Hive ships a bit, since there are less than 50 left in OTL, and that isn't very scary, now is it? I've moved the number up to 140, although not all of them will go to the Milky Way. Straight explanation is that it makes for better plot. Long explanation is that there's a second PoD in which less Wraith ships are lost after their war with the Ancients. **


	3. Chapter 3

Caldwell strolled about the control room as they prepared for Atlantis's departure. The last batch of nonessential personnel had been evacuated the hour before to Midway station, and supplies had been transferred to the alpha site for Ambassador Weir. At the moment, Caldwell was waiting for Dr. Zalenka to return from the power room, where he had been preparing the ZPM's. Suddenly, the gate began dialing.

"We have incoming wormhole," said Chuck as he activated the iris.

"Who is it," asked Caldwell as he moved over to where Chuck was sitting.

Chuck looked over the string of numbers that came through the gate. "I'm reading Ronon's IDC."

"Let him in." Caldwell headed down to the gate room to meet Ronon.

The iris faded away and Ronon Dex stepped through the horizon into Atlantis. He was rough, fashioned during his time as a Runner. He sported numerous scars from his fights with the Wraith, such as the long diagonal slash down the left side of his face, which he got during the final battle with Michael. His hair was in a tight crew cut, which he had given himself ever since the unfortunate incident with Tyre. He carried two swords on his back, and his traditional laser pistol in a holster on his left side.

"Hello Ronon," said Caldwell as he walked up to the warrior. "It's good to see you again, but it's a bad time. You see, we're about to depart the Pegasus galaxy."

"I know," replied Ronon brusquely. "I'm going with you."

As he tried to move further into the city, he was stopped by Caldwell. "Like hell you are. This is our fight, not yours. I'm not going to risk your life in a fight that you don't need to be involved in."

Ronon fixed his iron gaze on Caldwell. "I want to kill Wraith. The Wraith are going where you are going. I'm going with you."

Caldwell mentally straightened himself and stared back at Ronon. "Alright, but I can't promise that you'll be back in Pegasus any time soon.

"Fine. Long as you don't get between me and the battle."

"Well, I'm not in charge of that, but I'm glad to have you with us," said Caldwell as he moved out of Ronons way.

They walked up the stairs and into the control room, where Doctor Zalenka was waiting for them. He glanced up from the computer he was typing on as Ronon moved to stand in a corner of the control room. "Oh, hello Ronon," said Zalenka. Ronon merely grunted in response, not very interested in a discussion with the scientist.

"We ready to go," asked Caldwell as he moved to look over Zalenka's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Uh, yes we are," replied Zalenka as he looked over the readings that he was getting from the power room.

"Alright. Put me on citywide."

Chuck pushed the intercom button and nodded to Caldwell."Attention all base personnel. This is Commander Caldwell. We are about to initiate the cities stardrive, so you should brace for some turbulence."

Zalenka activated his communications earpiece. "Rodney, you have a go."

Down in the chair room, McKay closed his eyes and visualized the city of Atlantis as he sat in the control chair. Seeing the city in his mind, he thought about the mechanisms the city contained that were necessary for it to undertake space travel. Concentrating, he willed them to activate. A rumbling ran throughout the city as Atlantis's stardrive activated, and the city rose slowly off the planet's surface, cocooned in it's protective shield. After the city passed through the lower layers of the planet's atmosphere and was established in orbit around the planet, McKay activated the city's hyperdrive, and they flew into subspace.

McKay deactivated the control chair with a smile on his face. He had only flown the city once before, and that was when the Replicators had tried to destroy the city. I was nice to be able to enjoy the experience, even with the thought of the Wraith headed toward the Milky Way in the back of his mind. "Earth, here we come," he said as he left the room.

* * *

><p>In the gate room of Cheyenne Mountain, a group of people had gathered, and they were conversing as they waited for the gate to dial. Most of them were marines, while an IOA official conversed with General O'Neill.<p>

"Look Agent Bates. As much as I appreciate the concern that the IOA is showing for me all of a sudden, the Lucian alliance won't be dumb enough to try and kidnap me.," said O'Neill with a sigh.

"With all due respect sir, I bet SG-1 thought the same thing, and look where that got them. The IOA wants me to make sure that nothing happens to you, and I plan on doing just that," replied Bates as he glanced back at the dialing gate.

"Alright." O'Neill turned his attention to the dialing gate as well. "Just try not to fall behind."

"Yes sir."

The gate finished the dialing sequence, and the event horizon flared into existence as a connection was established with Lucia's stargate. The marine escort shouldered their weapons and moved up the ramp as they prepared to go through. O'Neill looked back up to the control room where General Landry was watching. Landry gave a slight nod, and O'Neill walked confidently through the event horizon, along with the marine escort and Agent Bates.

* * *

><p>The event horizon of the wormhole that had connected with Lucia's gate disgorged the marine escort, who were confronted by a group of armed Lucians. Standing behind the armed group was an important looking Lucian, who was not very pleased with his task. He planned on making it as unpleasant for General O'Neill as possible. The marines spread out in a protective semicircle around the gate as O'Neill and Bates stepped through.<p>

"Ah. General Jack O'Neill. It is a pleasure," said the representative as he stepped forward, ignoring Bates entirely.

O'Neill stepped forward, but did not shake the representative's outstretched hand. "Hello... Millic, isn't it? Kefflin couldn't be bothered to come meet us in person?"

"Kefflin is very busy at the moment, and he regrets not being able to meet you . I will escort you to his citadel, where you will meet him." With that said, Millic gestured to the armed Lucian escort, who turned around and began tramping into the city, while accompanying each Marine one for one. O'Neill and Bates stayed in the circle, while Millic led the way.

"By the way," asked O'Neill as they walked, "Is Kefflin still mad about the whole "impersonation" thing? Cause I'd hate to think that we caused him any undue stress."

Millic glanced back with an evil grin on his face. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

Bates gave O'Neill a concerned glance. O'Neill just shrugged and continued walking. The group entered the catacombs that ran beneath the capitol city. After fifteen minutes in the dimly lit underground tunnels, they emerged up a ramp into a small courtyard.

Millic turned around and faced O'Neill. ""Wait here. I shall inform Kefflin of your arrival."

As he turned to walk away, O'Neill fired off a parting shot. "Darn. I was planning on getting some shopping done while I was here. Maybe check out the local cuisine."

Millic ignored his response and walked through the solitary doorway in the wall. The armed Lucians took up positions paralleling the wall, while the marines stood opposite their Lucian counterparts. O'Neill sat down on the solitary desk, and Bates paced about the sparsely decorated courtyard.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and Bates was starting to get fidgety. "Sir, I don't like this."

O'Neill glanced up at Bates with a severe lack of interest. "Relax Agent,. They're probably just rolling out the red carpet for us."

"I doubt it sir. Since when have the Lucians been that nice?"

O'Neill frowned. "Maybe they've had a change of heart."

Bates shook his head in disagreement. "I doubt it sir. Nothing we have done would make the Lucians like us any more, unless they've been brainwashed."

Before the conversation could continue, the door in the wall opened up. Millic walked through. "Kefflin will see you now." As O'Neill began walking forward, he raised his hand in a stop gesture. "Your guards will have to stay outside."

"Like hell they will," said Bates angrily. "We can't trust you. How do we know you won't try to kidnap us?"

"Bates," warned O'Neill

Millic gave Bates an angry look. "You're quite right, but we have no reason to trust you either. You may try to take Kefflin hostage and then where would we be?"

"Better off than we are now," muttered Bates.

"I'm afraid you just don't have the right attitude towards this Mr..."

"Bates. Agent Bates."

"Now, Agent Bates, as much as I would love to continue this discussion over possibilities, Kefflin will be very displeased if we stand here much longer. Come now, your guards stay outside."

With that, Millic walked through the door that he had come in through earlier with O'Neill and Bates following behind him. They walked through the indoor corridors until they arrived in a sparsely decorated room. The room had a table in the middle of it, with four chairs sitting around it. Kefflin was already in the room as they arrived.

"Ah, General O'Neill, Agent Bates. Welcome. I am glad to see that you are not here to try and take me hostage," said Kefflin as Millic walked to stand beside him.

"I'm glad you haven't tried to take us hostage yet as well," replied O'Neill as he and Bates sat down.

"It seems this is a day for surprises," countered Jefflin as he and Millic sat down. "So, what do the great and powerful Tau'ri want this time?"

"As much as I hate to say it, again, we need your help."

"And what makes you think we will help you, considering the activities you have engaged in that were directed against us in the past few years?"

"Because, believe it or not, we can't do everything by ourselves. We need your ships to help us fight, since we only have three of our own."

"Maybe if you would reveal the existence of the Stargate to the people of y0our world, then you wouldn't need to keep asking us for help."

"We're getting to that. Until then, we're asking you."

"So what great enemy have the Tau'ri awakened this time," asked Millic.

Bates pulled out a piece of paper and slid it over the table as O'Neill talked. "About five years ago, we managed to locate the lost city of the Ancients, called Atlantis. Turns out, the Ancients had taken the city to another galaxy. For the past years, we've had a scientific and military presence there."

Kefflin thought on that for a second. "And you are telling me this because the thing you need help with is there? Because I cannot send the majority of my people to another galaxy for nothing in return."

"Actually, the threat is coming here. You see, in this galaxy we found these things called Wraith. They have organic based technology, and can suck the life out of you through their palms. Turns out, they even managed to beat the Ancients. And now they're headed here."

"And why are they headed here, and how did they learn you came from here," asked Kefflin.

"They're coming here because they believe Earth is their new feeding ground. You see, they think a million humans is a lot, and we've got almost 7 billion. As for how they found out we're here, a few months ago a Wraith Hive Ship showed up in Earth orbit. We blew it up, but a few of them managed to get down to the surface. We rounded most of them up, but one managed to get off a subspace signal before he could get killed, and now they're headed here."

"Why should we help you then? This is your mess like last time, and it sounds like that they will leave us alone if we don't bother them."

"Sorry to burst your happy little bubble, but the Wraith aren't going to be able to tell us from you, and when they finish with us, you'll be next on their kill list. The Wraith don't like any competition in their galaxy."

"What competition. You seriously think we would try to contest them? No, we've had enough of fighting your wars for you, like with the Ori."

"You don't get it. The Wraith have a problem with anyone being on the same technological level as them. They'll kill us, then they'll go and beat you down to the medieval ages."

"I think we shall take our chances. We have no with to repeat the disastrous battles against the Ori."

"Fortunately for everyone involved, the Wraith aren't the Ori. Their ships don't have shields and their weapons can't compare to Ori beam weapons."

"So how many ships do you anticipate we will have to deal with?"

"Around one hundred and fifty."

Kefflin was astounded. "One hundred and fifty? Even if they are not as strong as the Ori, that is too many ships to defeat in open battle. That is, unless you are willing to give us some assistance? Say, giving us those weapons the Asgard gave you before they vanished"

Bates entered the conversation angrily. "No. Asgard beam weapons would be too dangerous in your hands. That'd be like giving you a Mark 9 Gatebuster. The IOA will never sign off on it."

O'Neill glanced at Bates with a look of annoyance. "Sorry. Apparently advanced weapons are off the table. Besides, the weapons you have should be fine, seeing as we fought them with railguns for close to three years, and we managed to survive."

Kefflin shook his head. "I disagree. It's only fitting compensation for the services we have provided you over the years."

"What services? You've tried to destroy our ships, seized the _Odyssey,_ took SG-1 hostage, and did almost nothing against the Ori except in that initial battle. If anything, you should owe us for saving your asses."

"Bates," interjected O'Neill. "Shut up."

"It's quite alright General. This discussion is over anyway. Unless you give me what I ask for, then you shall receive no assistance in any form whatsoever. Go now."

As they were escorted from the meeting room, O'Neill talked with Bates. "Excellent job Agent."

"I'm sorry sir. But it's perfectly true what I said. The IOA would never have let us give that technology to the Lucians."

"I know that and you know that, but you didn't have to tell him. I was about to get him to agree when you chimed in."

'I'm sure you were sir. I also bet that you were going to tell this to the IOA when you got back. That's why I wasn't sent to watch you to make sure you didn't promise anything we couldn't deliver, of course."

O'Neill grunted as they entered into the courtyard they had been in before. They started heading back towards the gate with their marine escort. O'Neill started walking ahead of Bates, and he walked he shot a glance at Bates. "I wouldn't quit my day job Agent."

Bates looked a bit confused. "This is my day job, sir."

"That might be a problem."

* * *

><p>The diplomatic team walked through the gate into Cheyenne Mountain, and were greeted by general Landry. They walked up to the conference room for the debriefing.<p>

"So Jack, how did it go?"

O'Neill looked ruefully at Landry. "Well, we did come back."

"That bad huh?"

"They didn't exactly greet us with roses."

"So what went wrong?"

"They're still angry about the whole Ori thing, and they wanted us to give them Asgard beam weapons. Fortunately, Agent Bates here intervened and got us shut down by Kefflin."

Bates spoke up in his own defense, "With all due respect, they weren't ever planning on helping us. They don't know the Wraith like we do. They would have just taken what we had given them, and then waited for us to take the fall so th4ey could come save the day and look like hero's to the universe. Giving them beam weapons would just be shooting ourselves in the foot"

Landry looked over to Agent Bates, who sat defiantly in the chair to his right. "Thank you Agent. You're dismissed. You might want to let the IOA know why this whole negotiation went off the rails."

"Yes sir," said Bates coldly, and he stood up and exited the conference room.

"So now what," asked O'Neill after Bates had left.

"Fortunately for us, the Jaffa have agreed to send some ships to help, and Atlantis is on it's way back from Pegasus. And since the Wraith transmission had the location of the Ancient weapons platform in Area 51, we're moving it to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base."

"So we've got four ships, since the Brits launched the _Churchill_, Atlantis, and whatever the Jaffa can bring." O'Neill shook his head and gave a small laugh. "Whatever happened to fair odds?"

Landry looked at O'Neill with a twinkle in his eye. "Jack, you don't get paid to fight with fair odds." He and O'Neill stood up. "Besides, you'll be plenty busy soon enough. The Presidents making his address about the Stargate in two days, and I expect there won't be a lack of excitement."

O'Neill grinned a little as he thought about it. "Well, this should be fun," he said sarcastically.

* * *

><p>Tamion're sat contentedly in her throne chair as the might Wraith armada prepared to depart for Earth. The time had been spent repairing battle damage and smoothing over the relations between some of the more intractable Hives. Soon though, they would depart this galaxy, and nothing would stand in the way of their new feeding ground, and a glorious future for the Wraith.<p>

Her second, Moraq'se, approached her throne and bowed. "My Queen. The fleet is ready to depart."

"Very good," said Tamion'e as she rose from her throne. "I shall go to the bridge to watch the departure of our great fleet."

"Yes my Queen," replied Moraq'se as he fell into a flanking position beside Tamion're. Together, they proceeded to the bridge of the Hive Ship. However, before they could reach it alarms started hissing throughout the Hive. With her telepathic connection to the bridge crew, Tamion're could tell that something had happened to the fleet in general. The two of them hurried to the bridge and were just in time to see two Hive Ships vanish from their scanners.

"Who is attacking us," asked Moraq'se.

Tamion're's eyes widened. "We are not under attack Those Hives have abandoned us."

Moraq'se was stunned. "Why would they do such a thing? We are about to seize our new feeding ground."

"They doubt the inevitability of our success. They do not share our sense of certainty, and they remember how the Lanteans have hurt us here. They also believe that they will be able to adequately feed themselves with so many other Hives off crushing the Lantean homeworld."

"My Queen, how many Hives have left us?"

"Eight of them."

"We should destroy them for betraying their supreme leader."

"No. That would take too much time. Do not fear, they will soon learn the error of their ways. Contact the fleet. It is time to depart."

"Yes my Queen," replied Moraq'se as he bowed.

In a scattered order, the assembled Wraith fleet began jumping into hyperspace, the first of a series of jumps that would take them beyond the edge of their own galaxy and into one quite unknown to them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **I edited the earlier chapters a bit to fill in where the _Odyssey_ w****as. Nothing too major. As for the _Phoenix/George Hammond, _you'll find out what happened to that soon enough.**

**And yes, I feel no shame about having a ship called the _Churchill_. So sue me.**


	4. Chapter 4

The day that the five members of the Stargate Program had set to reveal it's existence to the public had finally come, and the White House was in a bustle of activity as President Hayes readied himself for this historical speech

Hayes was standing in one of the dressing rooms near the Press Room as the time for his speech neared, and he was, to be frank, nervous as hell. He adjusted his cufflinks as specialists attended to his hair and activity flowed around him.

"Why as I so nervous? It's not like I haven't given speeches before."

Andrey, the President's secretary came up next to Hayes and handed him a copy of his speech. "Oh, it's probably because you're about to tell the entire population of the United States that we've visited countless worlds through an Ancient artifact, have a space fleet in violation of several treaties we've signed that say not to militarize space, and that an alien race Is coming to kill most of us and destroy human civilization as we know it."

Hayes shrugged. "Guess that makes sense. Alright, it's time. Let's get it over with."He brushed himself over and walked to the press room. Standing outside, he took a deep breath, folded his speech and put it in his pocket, then prepared himself to step inside the press room.

Inside, the press room was filled to the brim with reporters, who had been drawn by a pre-release that this would be a very important release. That and the knowledge that the heads of the United States, Britain, France, China, and Russia would be giving speeches at the exact same time, and that not even the best inside White House contacts could get them a copy of the speech, was enough to tantalize any editors taste buds.

The man at the podium introduced the President, and Hayes walked up to begin his speech. In Washington D.C, London, Paris, Moscow, and Beijing, the heads of the five permanent Security Council nations began their press releases, with the exact same speech on the tips of their tongues

"People of the United States..."

"People of the Wnited Kingdom..."

"People of the French Republic..."

"People of the Russian Federation..."

"Citizens of the People's Republic of China..."

"People of Earth..."

"I stand before you on the eve of the greatest trial in human history..."

In the early 2000's, the Americans managed to activate an ancient device that they had had possession of since the 1930's. This device was called a Stargate..."

"This Stargate allowed travel to other worlds through an artificially created wormhole. The existence of this device has been known to the members of the United Nations Security Council since 2003, and we have assisted the Americans in their exploration of the galaxy..."

"The galaxy is a strange place. We, along with the Americans, have fought off numerous threats to our world..."

"In the process, we have learned much about the history of our world, and we have gained numerous technologies. We have even returned to space with vessels capable of faster than light travel..."

"But now, the greatest threat our planet has faced approaches. An alien species called the Wraith is coming to kill and enslave us all..."

"But I ask you not to panic. This enemy is weeks, if not months away, and we will have time to prepare, to build spaceships with powerful weapons to face them..."

"I do not promise that it will be an easy fight. We have fought the Wraith before. We know their capabilities, their weapons, and it will take every resource Earth has to pull itself away from the brink of destruction..."

"That is why, immediately after this press conference is over, I will be meeting with the heads of state from the other five Security Council nations to address the United Nations in an effort to coordinate the worldwide war effort..."

"This will be the greatest war effort and building program in the history of the planet. Either we shall succeed, or human history shall end..."

"Now, as I have said before, do not panic. This threat is many weeks away from us, and we have allies who shall aid us in this fight. Panicking will serve no purpose and will merely distract us from preparing for war..."

"More information will be released in the coming days regarding what we have learned of Earth's early history, our extrasolar activities, technologies we have found, and alliances we have made..."

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

The press room was left in stunned silence as the President moved away from the podium. Around the globe, as the five leaders finished their speeches, they were each engulfed in a white light at the exact same time. When it faded, the reporters and staff were stunned to see that the heads of state were no longer there. The press room exploded into chaos as the impact of what they had just seen and heard registered in the minds of the rooms occupants.

* * *

><p>The chamber of the United Nations General Assembly was packed with heads of state and ambassadors. They had been drawn by the news that the five permanent members of the Security Council would be giving an address on an important issue. They had not heard the addresses that had just happened in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, and Washington DC, so they were anxiously awaiting what would be said.<p>

All of them were shocked into silence by a blinding flash of light that illuminated the chamber, and the presence of the five heads of state in the middle of the room when it faded.

President Hayes stepped forward and began addressing the assembly before they had a chance to recover.

"Honourable delegates of the United Nations, we stand before you on the brink of the greatest threat this planet has ever faced. For the past ten years, the United States has had the capability to travel to other worlds through a device called a Stargate. Initially a secret, the existence of the Stargate was revealed to the other major Security Council nations in a special meeting in 2003. Since then, we have received assistance from them in exploration, research, and defense.

That help was sorely needed, for the galaxy is not a safe place as most of us wish it was. First, there was the Goa'uld, a race of parasitic aliens that had controlled Earth in the time of Ancient Egypt. We fought them for many years, and they were defeated after a hard fight. Then there were the Replicators, sentient nanomachines that wanted to assimilate all organic life. They were defeated as well. Then, the Ori came. Humans like us, they sought to forcibly convert us to their own religion. It took every resource at our disposal, but we managed to stop them before they could destroy us.

But now a new threat is coming, one that will be our greatest challenge to date. There will be no quick victory, no superweapon to end the war in one shot. It will take all the resources that this world has to ensure our survival.

That is why we are here. An international effort must be arranged to build a fleet that can defend our planet. Our divisions must be forgotten, our petty quarrels must end. In the face of the destruction of our civilization, we must band together and fight as one, or we shall die.

All our records which show the true course of history will be made available to you all. With regards to technologies gained through Stargate travel, distribution will be determined and coordinated by the already established International Oversight Agency, under the aegis of the United Nations Security Council. And in the briefings that you are being handed, you will find a list of locations that we wish to establish shipyards for the purposes of building a space fleet.

This effort will be long, but it will also be a boon to the global economy. We will need welders, technicians, engineers, and other skilled workers. We will need steel, titanium, electronics, and other construction materials to build ships. We will be working extensively with the global private sector in building and manning these ships.

Now you should learn what we face. They are a race called the Wraith. They use organic technology in their ships and they have strong energy weapons. They have the ability to regenerate, which is mainly improved by feeding on live humans, draining the very life from their bodies, and they cannot die from old age. They also have the ability to create artificial mirages. They are strong, fast, ruthless, and scary. That is what we have to face.

It will not be an easy fight, but it is possible. We have faced the Wraith before and won, if not on this large of a scale. I have no doubt that humanity will be able to triumph here."

As Hayes ended his speech, there was another flash of light, and Teal'c stood proud and strong next to the five heads of state. He was dressed in his ceremonial garb and made a striking figure. The assembled delegates in the chamber reacted with surprise, some gasping while other murmured quickly with the others close to them.

Teal'c waited a bit then began speaking, his voice bringing the chamber to a dead silence. "Tau'ri of Earth, I bring greetings from the Free Jaffa Nation. You assisted us in our struggle for freedom against the Goa'uld and brought hope to this galaxy. We hope to continue this friendship in the years to come."

Hayes nodded at Teal'c. "The five of our nations recognize the Free Jaffa Nation as a sovereign state, and we hope that Teal'c will be joining your ranks in the near future."

Prime Minister Cameron stepped forward to add his own part to the speech. "Some of you are probably hesitant about this. If we ignore the universe, won't they leave us alone, you may ask. But that is not possible. We have had too much of an impact to simply go back to the way things were. We have toppled empires, freed slaves, and have learned more about our history and this galaxy than we ever dreamed possible. And, like it or not, we have already been touched by war. The destruction of the USS _Nimitz_ battle group, the sinking of the RNS _Blackbird,_ the "war games" over Antarctica, the "meteor shower" two months ago, all of these were failed attacks on our world that were stopped by the brave men and women of the Stargate Program. So if you think we can just withdraw and tend to our own affairs, then you are very wrong."

Hayes took up from Cameron. "Now, I expect that you will want some time to absorb what you have just learned and contact your respective governments. In that respect, I motion for a half hour recess."

"France seconds that motion."

Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, looked flustered. "Having a motion on the table for a half hour recess with a second, we will now take a vote. All in favor?"

There was an overwhelming raising of placards.

"All those opposed?"

The room was motionless for the few brief seconds afterwards. Even the longtime enemies of the United States were too shocked to try and contest this motion. There would be time to argue later. For now, they had to figure out what to do, or even say.

"With what appears to be a unanimous majority, the motion for a half hour recess is passed. We will resume at 3:40 pm," said the Secretary General as he banged his gavel.

The room exploded into activity as heads of state rushed out to contact their cabinets, and ambassadors rushed out of the room to contact their heads of state. The only people who were not moving were the five speakers, the Secretary General, and Teal'c. Ban Ki-moon

The Secretary General walked over to the President of the United States. "Any other surprises we should know about Mr President?"

Hayes grinned at the Secretary General. "Well, there may be a few things. But those will have to wait. I think this one is going to be enough trouble as it is."

Ki-moon looked over at Teal'c. "So, he is an alien?"

Teal'c walked over to the Secretary General and bowed. "Hello, I am Teal'c. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard much about you."

The Secretary General bowed in return. "I anticipate getting to know you as well. I have no doubt that your entry into the United Nations will be swift, especially with the most important nations on Earth all supporting your entry."

"Indeed."

Together, the six humans and one Jaffa conversed in the hall of the general Assembly as the trembles of what they had revealed shook the world

* * *

><p>Colonel Ian Davidson felt the <em>Daedalus<em> shudder underneath him as it entered Earth's atmosphere. He had been reassigned to the _Daedalus_ after Colonel Caldwell had been appointed Base commander of Atlantis following Weir's removal for the Wraih-Asuran War fiasco. It had been a difficult transition at first, moving from the more advanced _Odyssey_ to the _Daedalus_, and having the new duty of protecting Atlantis from any Wraith ships that decided to poke around the area.

Of course, this was only some pageantry for the American public, to show that they weren't helpless before the Wraith. The Presidents address to the United Nations had just finished and now it was time for his own spectacle. That was why the _Daedalus_ was currently en route to Washington D.C, where they would show off the pride of the US Space Fleet.

The shuddering subsided as the _Daedalus _finished reentry and moved into their flight pattern. Davidson could just imagine what the people on the ground must be seeing. It must have been an impressive sight. This might ship, born of American ingenuity, leading the fight against the Wraith to save Earth. But for now, there was a show to put on.

As they neared Washington DC, Davidson glanced over at Lieutenant colonel Bishop. "Ready all F-302's for launch. It's time to put on a show. I'm sure the boys won't mind substituting for the Blue Angels this time."

In the ships hangars, F-302's were fueled up and loaded with special missiles, made purposefully for this show. Pilots suited up in preparation for flight, and the desks bustled with activity, protected by the force fields of the _Daedalus_.

Back on the bridge, Davidson got in contact with the Secretary of Defense, who was coordinating the display since the President was in New York. The police had been sent out to keep order, but it hadn't been needed for the most part. The President's address had done much to make people more curious than afraid of the vessel that was descending from the sky. The ship entered DC airspace and moved to take up a stationary position over the Reflecting Pool.

Davidson nodded to no one in particular. "Launch all F-302's."

The people on the ground watched as small fighter craft flew out of the hangars on the side s of the _Daedalus_. The F-302's aligned into a Delta V formation and began flying around the _Daedalus_, Doing all the trick moves that they wouldn't even consider doing in a dogfight due to their uselessness. The people watched in amazement as the _Daedalus _unfurled American flags from the hangar bays, which swayed in the wind as the outside speakers were turned on and started playing "Stars and Stripes Forever."

At that point, a sizable crowd had gathered around the Reflecting Pool, and they began cheering for the ship that was obviously American. Then, something happened that increased their delight. The F-302's moved back into formation and began launching missiles, missiles which exploded with a large bang and a splash of light like fireworks.

Davidson smiled as the people down below cheered. "Ah, this is a nice change of pace," he said. "Activate secondary top batteries."

On the top of the _Daedalus_, several racks of fireworks were beamed on top of it as well as Air Force crewmen in magnetic boots. The crewmen quickly went to work, lining up the racks and touching flames to the fuse of each rocket. With a burst of fire, the fireworks flew off into the sky. Compared to the fireworks being shot off by the F-302's, these fireworks were a sight to behold, with multiple colors, effects, and a definite jump in size and loudness.

Davidson knew that this spectacle was being repeated in Los Angeles by the _Odyssey_, in Chicago by the _Apollo_, and in London by the _Churchill. _It seemed a bit much to him, but he could understand why the brass would want to prove they weren't lying through their teeth about this whole thing. He'd be skeptical too if he found out that the country had been traveling to other worlds for the past ten years without anyone noticing.

He settled back into his chair. "Well, we might as well enjoy the show. Lord knows we wont have a lot of these in the future." He stood up and walked to the windows on the bridge. He stood there, musing about the future while watching the cheering crowd below as fireworks went off in the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I know Davidson vanished off the radar of SG-1. Consider this one of my liberties from the regular show if it isn't possible. **


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a few days since the shattering announcement revealing the existence of the Stargate program and the threat to earth posed by the Wraith. Initially there had been riots, but those were put down by local police and military forces. After it became obvious that the politicians weren't lying, and that the Earth was not in immediate danger of being invaded, people settled down and got to preparing for war.

The IOA had been revealed as an open agency of the United Nations, but still continued on with all their previous assignments. It was still a difficult transition for all involved though, with the SGC being put under NATO jurisdiction. This hadn't made the Russians or Chinese happy, but it had to be done for the sake of international cooperation.

In the SGC command room, the leaders of the NATO armed forces, as well as the Russian and Chinese armed forces, were holding a meeting to see their combined resources and make suggestions to the IOA and their countries governments.

General Landry brought up a map of military bases in NATO. "So, with the authorization of the President and the IOA, we've begun constructing several new shipyards for making _Odyssey_ class vessels. We've begun adding on to the New Mexico shipyards, since we don't have to hide Area 51 anymore."

General Volker Wieker of the Heer added in, "Germany has begun the construction of several of its own shipyards with the assistance of the United States. We will soon be able to add Germany's industrial might to the production of a battle fleet."

General Nikolay Makarov broke into the conversation. "Russia has begun putting its own industrial might into the project. However, we are still crippled by a lack of trained personnel..."

"Look. The USA appreciates all you've done for us, but with all the world knowing about the project now, it'll be that much easier for dangerous technology like naugdriah bombs to fall into the hands of terrorists, and your government doesn't have a stellar track record when it comes to internal security. We don't have enough trained personnel to go around yet."

"Well, as long as you remember the contributions we have made to this program," said Makarov angrily.

"Don't worry. Now, fortunately for us, the Wraith will all be coming from one direction, and their less advanced hyperdrive means it takes longer for them to go anywhere. That, combined with their need to feed, gives us a reasonable guess as to where the Wraith will show up." said Landry as he pulled up a star map, with the mentioned systems pulsing red.

General O'Neill took over. "So, we set out a ship or two as pickets in each of these systems. The tech guys tell me that when we know where the Wraith end up, we can predict the next planet they'll go to and make sure there's a nice reception waiting for them."

"So, what is the chain of command here with regards to space ships? Do they listen to us or the IOA? Because I'd prefer to be not undercut by civilians while we're fighting an interstellar war," said Admiral Ediuard Guillaud.

"The commanders on the scene will have a prerogative of course, and they report to Homeworld Command, which reports to the IOA and the UN," explained General O'Neill. "It's a bit bureaucratic for my taste, but they've promised to let us handle the war and they'll handle getting us guns and men."

"General O'Neill, what about our allies," asked General Weiker.

"So our allies. That would be the Free Jaffa who, I'm glad to say, were admitted to the UN yesterday, the Tok'ra, who they are voting on admitting today, I think, and several minor planets who they'll get to later. The main allies though are the Free Jaffa and the Tok'ra. They, along with the Lucian alliance, have whats left of the Goa'uld Empire's military might. But since the Lucians are playing hard to get, we have to work without them. Not that I mind, since they're just a bunch of pirates and thugs anyway.

So, anyway, We've got the Free Jaffa and the Tok'ra on our side. They've offered what technical help they can get, and they're willing to coordinate with our ships as well. We're working with them to set up the picket line. But other than that, the only thing they can help us with is resupply stations on their planets."

They were about to continue the conversation when an aide ran in. "General Landry, we received a message from Atlantis. Doctor McKay has analyzed the path of the Wraith fleet. It looks like they're going to go right past Midway Station."

General Landry thought about that for a second. "So Doctor McKay thinks that wraith are going to try and cut us off from Pegasus by destroying Midway, does he?"

The aide nodded as he handed Landry the report. "Yes sir."

Landry read the report and then thought over it. "Alright, here's what I say we should recommend. We build as many ships as we can, then get them to Midway station for the wraith's arrival. We also modify and equip the station with railguns, missile launchers, and a naqduah self destruct. We meet the Wraith there with the Tok'ra and the Jaffa, hit them hard, then head back to the Milky Way."

The rest of the generals present quickly agreed, and went to inform their respective governments of their collective decision.

* * *

><p>Tamion're sat with an air of power and authority in her Hive's throne room as Queens and attendants from over the fleet came before her, bringing her news and wishes and requests that could not be said over the comm. She found it boring some days, but it was absolutely necessary.<p>

"Do not worry, Shipmaster, you will get the supplies you require," said Tamion're with a dismissive gesture, indicating the interview was over.

The shipmaster bowed, and was replaced by another. He bowed as well. 'My queen."

"And what is it you wish to say," asked Tamion're.

"My Queen, I bring you a great gift. As you know, I was one that served the former Shipmaster Alzhak'no."

"Yes, the one the humans called Todd. I believe he was lost with the Hive that found the location of Earth."

"Yes, a tragedy for us all. His skill and cunning will not be easily replaced. However, he may still provide us with some good yet. I used to serve under him, and it was under him that I learned of a powerful device he had. I now present this device to you, so that you may more adequately lead us in the fight against the Humans."

The Shipmaster motions, and two wraith warriors carry in a chest. They set it down beside the Shipmaster, who opens it up and carries the item to Tamion're.

"My queen, I present you with this Lantena power device, which I believe they called "Zero Point Modules. It was taken during the war with the Replicators. If properly interfaced with your ships systems, you will have access to near unlimited power, and you will gain the strongest ship in the fleet by far."

"Why thank you," said Tamion're, her eyes lighting up at this great gift. "I appreciate your...generosity. Another Shipmaster may think to keep such a device for himself."

The Shipmaster bowed. "I am only doing as any loyal Wraith should. We have been harmed too much by the civil war, and with the beginning of the journey towards our new feeding ground, it would be best if we trusted each other."

"I wish all wraith thought the same as you. What is your name, Shipmaster?"

"My name is Knyseth'no, my Queen."

"Very well, Knyseth'n. You have the gratitude of the Wraith people. You may go."

The Shipmaster bowed and exited the room, along with his two Warriors. Tamion're leaned over and spoke to her own Shipmaster. "Take the Lantean power device to the engine room. Have our scientists begin integrating it into the ships power supply."

"Yes my Queen," said the shipmaster, and he led two Wraith warriors out of the room, the chest held between them.

Tamion're motioned for the next person to enter as she thought of what this meant. _Soon, we will reach the Human station called Midway, and we shall blow it out of the universe. Then, on to Earth and our new feeding ground. And nothing shall stop us! _

* * *

><p>OOC: Duhn, duhn duhn! The plot thickens! The Wraith are headed for Midway, the Tau'ri are moving to meet them there, and the SuperHive from Enemy at the Gates is making an appearance in this may be one more update or so, then its on to the battle of Midway station.<p>

Short update I know. The battle will make up for it.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, college delayed this a while, but I finally have it up. Big battle next chapter.**

* * *

><p>"The life of John Sheppard, was a life of decisions and chances gone wrong. He went against his fathers wishes to join the Air Force, but was dishonorably discharged after an unauthorized rescue mission went wrong. He moved to Las Vegas, where he became a detective for the police force, where he worked for the rest of his days.<p>

But that should not be the focus of our reflection. He helped many people, both while in the Air Force and in the Las Vegas police. While his life may have been of decisions gone wrong, it was also about sacrifice. In the end, he gave everything to the people he loved, and to his country. May he find the peace and love in heaven he was unable to find on earth."

As the priest finished speaking, the casket bearing the body of John Sheppard was lowered into the open grave. It was an overcast rain, with an oppressive humidity that begged for rain, a rain that would not come. Besides the priest, there was only a nurse, Laura Welks, and a doctor, Rodney McKay.

Laura cried as the casket was covered up with dirt. McKay stood silently next to her, just offering her his companionship. He had gotten leave to go to this, and he felt it was his duty to, especially after what Sheppard had given up to help this planet, and after the encounter with the alternate universe Sheppard who had been a part of the Atlantis Expedition.

Finally, the casket had been laid to rest, the grave covered, and the priest had departed, leaving McKay and Welks standing there, just looking at the tombstone, on which was written.

**John Sheppard**

**A Solitary Man, no longer alone**

**1970-2009**

Laura talked as she cried, seeking the comfort of the only other person who had shown up. "I...I wonder why...we're the only two here. We can't have been the only ones who cared about him."

"Sheppard's father died about a year ago. And after he defied his fathers wishes to go join the Air Force, he and his brother didn't really talk. No family other than that. And he quit the LVPD the day he died," explained McKay.

Laura wiped away the tears falling down her face with a tissue. "You were...one of John's friends?"

McKay nodded, certain even in this lie that it would have been true. "In a different life, we were. We had just met a day or so before he died."

Laura paused from crying long enough to throw McKay a confused glance, intrigued by the wording of that statement. But she let it go. "I'm sorry. I don't even know your name."

"McKay. Doctor McKay. Civilian specialist with the Stargate Program," replied McKay.

Laura's eyes widened. Like everyone else, she had heard a lot about the program over the past few days, and the thought that John had known someone in it was amazing.

The two of them stood there for a bit longer before McKay averted his gaze. He could only look so long at the death in front of him. That had come so close during his time on Atlantis. So many challenges, trials, sleepless nights, racing to save the city. The Program was public, but Atlantis was still a secret. So all those who had died on the Expedition were listed as KIA on unassociated projects in the Program, during the conflict with Anubis and the Ori. It irked him, but he didn't make policy, as Caldwell was fond of reminding him, so he had to live with it.

"So, you were Sheppards..." inquired McKay.

"Friend. I, I was in love with him, but he never knew. He was always so busy with his work, and he was averse to attachments. And now I'll never get a chance to tell him..."

McKay held her comfortingly as she cried, her tears mixing with the humid air. Emotional stuff wasn't his strong suit, but marrying Jennifer had given him a crash course in not being a total jerk like he was at the beginning of the Expedition.

Actually, she had wanted to come to this, since she had heard about the alternate Sheppard incident, but she had been kept busy by the Atlantis relocation and SGC business.

"It's okay. You can be proud of him. He died trying to save all of us from the Wraith. In the end, he was a hero."

"But, he failed, didn't he? The Wraith are coming."

"He did. But he tried. In the end, he put the fate of all of us above his own safety. That's something to be proud of."

"I guess you're right."

McKay stood with her for a little bit longer, then said goodbye to the Sheppard he didn't really get to know, and began leading Laura away to a waiting Air Force limousine that would take her to her house. She would probably come back later, but they couldn't stand here forever. And she needed to get away, so she couldn't stare and cry until she collapsed.

They got in the limousine, and McKay gave the driver her address. As the car pulled away, he glanced at Sheppard's grave through the tinted window and said his last goodbye.

* * *

><p>Announcer: "From the global resources of ABC News, with Martin Bashir and Cynthia McFadden in New York City, and Terry Moran in Washington, this is Nightline, March 7, 2009."<p>

_Overlay the opening paragraph with the title theme. The words are said as lines of yellow flash through the blue colored cities of New York and Washington DC, eventually resolving into the show title. After a short commercial break, the show comes back to the main set, with Martin Bashir taking the lead. _

Martin Bashir: "Today on Nightline, we have a special look into the Stargate Program. Revealed to the world a few days ago, this program has been operating in secret for the past ten years, protecting the planet from alien threats we never knew existed, and saving us from slavery and disaster multiple times.

Today, we sit down with a representative from the Stargate Program, who will provide insight into the Program and their efforts on behalf of this planet."

_Walter Harriman walks in and sits down at the table Martin is at. _

Martin Bashir: Hello Sergeant Harriman. Welcome to the show.

Harriman: Thank you sir. General Landry sends his regards and wishes he could be here, but was held up by Homeworld Command business.

Bashir: Understandable. So, Sergeant, lets talk about the Stargate itself. Now, from what I understand, it was found in Egypt, correct?

Harriman. Yes sir. There were initially two Gates. The first was found in Egypt in 1928, and was shipped to the United States in 1939. The second Gate was discovered in Antarctica by SG-1 in 1998. the Antarctica gate was destroyed in the war with the Goa'uld in 2002. The first Gate sits in Cheyenne Mountain right now.

Bashir: The Goa'uld. We met them when we first activated the Gate, and fought them from a long time. Can you tell us about them?

Harriman: The Goa'uld were a race of parasitic aliens that embedded themselves in a human's body and took control of their mind. They also had to ability to repair extensive damage to their human host. They were also all evil.

Bashir.: Evil? Isn't that a bit harsh?

Harriman: No, it actually is not. They have a device that we call a sarcophagus, which can heal all bodily wounds, even being able to bring back the dead. But experience has told us that prolonged usage of the sarcophagus can alter your brain patterns, inducing paranoia, megalomania and intense notions of superiority. Basically, using it for long periods of time makes you literally evil.

Bashir: I see. And according to information released by the International Oversight Agency, the Goa'uld were actually...gods.

Harriman: Yes. In Ancient Egypt, the Goa'uld enslaved humanity and portrayed themselves as gods to control us. Eventually there was a revolution, which overthrew them and resulted in the Stargate being buried.

Bashir: And there were also the Asgard, ocrrect?

Harriman: Yes, the Asgard were the basis for the Norse religion. In contrast to the Goa'uld, they actually tried to uplift humanity, and provided us with several skills that made civilization possible.

Bashir: However, I understand that they no longer exist.

Harriman: Yes. By the time we met the Asgard, their civilization survived solely by the cloning of new bodies and the transferal of consciousness to them via crystal computers. This left them open to genetic degradation and genetic based diseases, and they eventually committed racial suicide to preempt the inevitable death of their civilization.

Bashir: Now, can you tell us a little bit about the Ori?

Harriman: The Ori were a sect of Ancients that separated from the group we know as the Ancients in the past. They set up a religion called Origin to have humans worship them, adding on to their power. The Ancients in our galaxy hid us from their notice until SG-1 accidentally contacted them and alerted them to our presence. They then had their followers invade the galaxy in an attempt to convert us to Origin. Using a device called the Sangraal, all the Ori were destroyed. A few months later, SG-1 was able to recover a device called the Ark of Truth, which was used to prove that Origin was a false religion, and end the crusade against us.

Bashir: Sergeant, going over the reports we have from that time. I can't help but notice the parallel between the war against the Ori and America's own struggle against the Taliban. Can you comment?

Harriman: I can't really explain it except it is very strange.

Bashir: Yes. Yes it is. Now, lets turn to the Wraith. Can you tell us what led to this war between us and them?

Harriman: Yes. One of our SG teams was exploring a planet and had come in contact with the natives there, when several Wraith "Darts emerged from the Gate and began attacking the village. Our SG teams assisted in the defense and forced the Darts to retreat, but two members of the team were taken prisoner, along with some of the villagers.

A rescue mission was authorized, and several SG teams moved in. The Wraith facility was infiltrated. Sadly, Colonel Sumner was killed before he could be rescued, but the others made it safely.

Bashir: So, this rescue led to the war?

Harriman: Yes it did.

Bashir: Now, when exactly was this first encounter with the Wraith?

Harriman: It was in 2004.

Bashir: You say it was 2004, but I don't see any mention of them in the mission reports for that year, or any since then. Care to comment on that?

Harriman: Actually, I don't. You'd have to ask the IOA about that.

Bashir: And while we are at it, how come the Wraith are only a threat now, instead of five years ago, when they were first encountered?

Harriman; Most of the Wraith go into hibernation to give the human population time to regrow. However, the rescue mission inadvertently woke them up. It took time for them to wake up, and identify Earth as our home planet.

Bashir: I see. I've heard from some individuals that the Wraith actually come from a different galaxy. Care to comment on why a race would cross a galaxy just to come and fight us?

Harriman: I'm sorry. I'm not authorized to answer questions in that area. I suggest you contact the SGC if you want to continue that line of questioning.

Bashir: Alright then.

Coming up next, we continue our talk with Sergeant Harrman about the current status of the multinational arms buildup, as well as the plans being put in place for the defense of Earth.

_Commercial break begins_.

* * *

><p>The city of Atlantis, wrapped in a protective shield, floated outside the large structure that was the rebuilt Midway Station. After it had been destroyed during the Wraith takeover, the Tau'ri had come back and made it bigger and better. The tactical advantages of the Gate Bridge were just too big to pass up. So they had remade the Station, this time giving both Gates an Iris to stop intruders and attackers. They had also posted a marine complement there.<p>

Now though, the station was a bustle of activity as they prepared for the arrival of the Wraith armada. The Station was being mostly abandoned, with the self destruct being enhanced by a naqudah bomb to add to its destructive power. The Wraith would get a nasty surprise when they got past the Tau'ri fleet.

Onboard the city of Atlantis, Caldwell sat in a meeting with his command staff. The only people not present were McKay, who had gated back to Earth for Sheppard's funeral, and Weir, who had elected to stay in Pegasus. They were discussing the status of the city, and future plans.

"Mr. Woolsey, what did the IOA say to you," asked Caldwell.

"Well, Atlantis is still a secret back on Earth. They want to make it a moral booster for when it shows up in orbit before some sort of climactic battle. To that effect, they want you to land cloaked near McMurdo. Our drone stock will be replenished from the Antarctica Outpost, and they will begin combat modifications to the city."

"Combat modifications? We have a shield and drones. I'm not really sure what more we would need," commented Lorne.

"The IOA is aware of that, but they believe that it would be best to have multiple attack options in the coming battles. They will be modifying the outer towers to put in railguns, and they will be attempting t o put in some Asgard beam weapons as well. They hope to have the smaller version complete before we arrive at Earth."

Caldwell looked at Zelenka, the resident science expert while McKay was away on Earth. "Dr. Zelenka, can the city handle that much of a draw on its power?"

Zelenka thought about that. "Well, I suppose it is possible if we can augment the ZPM with some naqudah reactors from Earth."

Caldwell nodded. "Alright. That's everything. You can return to your duties. I want to be ready to fight when the Wraith get here."

The meeting over, the command staff got up and went back to work on preparations. Caldwell went back to his office, to fill in some paperwork. Paperwork which, for some strange reason, had started to pile up the closer the city got to Earth. He now had a theory that the bureaucracy of the US government increased in direct correlation to the distance one was from Washington DC.

He hadn't expected it would be like this. Arriving in Pegasus for the first time, commander of the USS _Daedalus_, he had laid eyes on the city and had known right away that he wanted to be in charge of that. The conflict with the Wraith only strengthened that. This was a military situation, a war. A civilian couldn't be in charge here, couldn't make the tough choices. Over time his respect for Weir as a leader grew, but he saw the situation in Pegasus spin out of control. Civil War amongst the Genii, the creation of Michael, the awakening of the Asurans, who launched into a war with the Wraith with a furious vengeance.

When he had become Commander of the Atlantis Expedition, Dr. Weir had just been removed by the IOA for her mishandling of the Wraith-Asuran War who had devastated multiple human worlds in the Pegasus Galaxy. In the end, they hadn't fixed their mistake by activating the attack command. It had been the Wraith, shutting down the Asurans as they had before. At first he had been glad. He finally had the command he had been denied for so long, a recognition of his efforts on behalf of Earth.

It was once he was there, in the commanders seat, that he understood what Weir had had to deal with for the past years. The IOA couldn't predict everything that happened here, and with only Atlantis being able to dial Earth, he found himself forced more and more to ignore the IOA. And if he couldn't rely on his orders, then what could he trust? The others had kept him from some less than exemplary decisions, but the rogue Asgard, or Vanir as they called themselves, had shown up and almost destroyed civilization in Pegasus as they knew it in their pursuit to destroy the Wraith. They had managed to stop them, so at least that had worked out. And now the Wraith had arrived and he was back under the iron command of the US military.

While it was good to finally be able to get real support from Earth and have some solid direction that could react in a timely manner, he suddenly found himself protective of the people under his command. They had been through things that the people back on Earth couldn't understand, since Pegasus was very different.

He mentally scolded himself. No use dwelling on that stuff. He had a job to do, and he would do it to the best of his abilities. That was all the people of the USA and the world asked of him. He wrote down some notes, and directions for what to do when he was finished reading all these papers. Work, it wasn't fun, but it had to be done.


End file.
